OnLive releases gaming app for tablets, phones

OnLive has released an app for gaming that could launch a new fleet of gamers into the cloud. The app, which is supported on select devices, gives players cloud access to top-tier console games that had previously been unavailable for mobile play.

The cloud gaming service has already been one of the companies at the forefront of the shift to cloud gaming, offering AAA titles to gamers who opt not to buy a physical copy of their games. The service offers about 200 games to play via the company’s servers, and the new app also features at least one game — Rockstar’s L.A. Noire — that’s been retooled by developers specifically to fit a touch interface.

Of course, if touch-based gaming isn’t your thing, OnLive is also offering up a wireless version of its controller, which has been tested with a handful of tablets to emulate the feel of console play. Most of the company’s catalog of nearly 200 games will be playable with the controller, the company said, and over 25 titles will work with touch control.

It’s easy to be skeptical of OnLive and other cloud gaming service, but the company has taken pains to make sure that player experiences are generally free of lag or other funky errors that could arise from playing a game without having the physical media with you. And the service gives you the advantage of being able to save a game while playing on one device, take a break, and pick up where you left off on another.